Israeli platform i24 reported that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa participated in at least one high-level meeting with Israeli officials in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday, citing a Syrian source close to the president. The report contradicts earlier claims from Damascus that Sharaa would not be attending.
According to the source, the encounter is part of a series of two or three meetings between the two sides. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and security envoy Ahmed al-Dalati, who handles coordination with Israel, were also present.
The Israeli delegation reportedly includes a special envoy from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside senior military and intelligence officials.
Discussions reportedly focused on a proposed security agreement between Israel and Syria, Iran’s military presence in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s arsenal, Palestinian militia weapons, and the situation in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. The talks also addressed the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza, now displaced across the region.
One item under consideration, the source said, is the possible establishment of an Israeli coordination office in Damascus—a liaison body without formal diplomatic status.
Azerbaijan was chosen as the host for these sensitive talks, reportedly at the suggestion of Israel and the United States, in what is seen as a strategic message directed at Iran.
The meetings in Baku precede a widely anticipated summit between President Sharaa and Prime Minister Netanyahu, scheduled for September in Washington, D.C.
